Confusion can reign when it involves employers trying to determine if something falls under their workers' compensation coverage or their employer liability coverage. The fact is, many employers/medical practices do not even carry employer liability insurance, otherwise known as EPLI. In Florida, any non-construction employer with four (4) or more employees is required by law to carry workers' compensation insurance. There is no requirement for employers to carry EPLI.

Employer liability insurance is becoming ever more important for all businesses, since we have been seeing a rapid increase in complaints and claims in the world of medical practices in the past two years and with the recently formed #MeToo movement. This, combined with the rise of social media, has created the perfect storm for the increase in employer liability claims. The most prevalent claims currently being experienced are...

We all know that there's a remarkable shortage of physicians in America and that it's growing worse. This is especially true in primary care but it's present across all specialties. This shortage alone is a significant stress on practicing physicians. But when it is coupled with corporatization, the increasing complexity of medical care, unrelenting electronic charting requirements and the explosion of administrative tasks, physicians barely keep up each day. This is one of the reasons that physician assistants and nurse practitioners are increasingly used in hospitals, clinics, and emergency departments. Among the other reasons we see increased employment of these professionals is that they can be trained in a shorter time than physicians and (as such) they cost their employers less money.

Firearm homicides and suicides represent a continuing public health concern in the United States. During 2015-2016, a total of 27,394 firearm homicides (including 3,224 [12%] among persons aged 10-19 years) and 44,955 firearm suicides (including 2,118 [5%] among persons aged 10-19 years) occurred among U.S. residents. This report updates an earlier report that provided statistics on firearm homicides and suicides in major metropolitan areas during 2006-2007 and 2009-2010, and places continued emphasis on youths, in recognition of the importance of early prevention efforts. Firearm homicide and suicide rates were determined for the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) during 2012-2013 and 2015-2016 using mortality data from the
National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) and population data from the
U.S. Census Bureau. In contrast to the earlier report, which indicated that firearm homicide rates among persons of all ages had been declining both nationally and in large MSAs overall, current findings show that rates have returned to levels comparable to those observed during 2006-2007. Consistent with the earlier report, these findings show that firearm suicide rates among persons aged ≥10 years have continued to increase, both nationally and in large MSAs overall. Although firearm suicide rates among youths remain notably lower than those among persons of all ages, youth rates have also increased both nationally and in large MSAs collectively. These findings can inform ongoing development and monitoring of strategies directed at reducing firearm-related violence.

We've spent the last few weeks talking work requirements for safety net programs, and it's all been leading up to this: work requirements for
Medicaid. By looking at the
EITC and
TANF, we learned some things. Can these lessons inform decisions about whether and how to implement work requirements for Medicaid? If so, how?